DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT OF ADVENTURE TOURISM FOR THE PURPOSES OF DESTINATION COMPETITIVENESS Christian Stipanović University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Naselje Ika, Primorska 42, 51410 Opatija, Croatia
[email protected] Elena Rudan Univerisity of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Naselje Ika, Primorska 42, 51410 Opatija, Croatia
[email protected] Vedran Zubović University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Naselje Ika, Primorska 42, 51410 Opatija, Croatia
[email protected] ABSTRACT The aim of this research is to determine and expand the relevant theoretical and applicative features of adventure tourism development in order to innovate the tourism development concept of the island of Krk. The settings in which adventure tourism is studied, against the dynamics of and challenges in the environment, need to be adapted and redefined across all levels (destination and enterprises) through a culture of synergy and networking and a culture of research and knowledge. The paper’s purpose is to analyse the current level of competitiveness of adventure tourism, define objectives, put forward concrete proposals for operations strategies innovation and build a development management model to position the island of Krk as a distinctive adventure tourism destination. The theoretical part of the paper applies scientific methods to study the dynamic trends of adventure tourism development and the determinants of a destination development management model. The applicable part focuses on defining ways of innovating the development concept based on quantitative and qualitative methods used to analyse the attitudes (in-depth interviews and surveys) of key adventure tourism stakeholders and on the authors’ views based on recent scientific literature sources.